A Painted Fan
by paintedchinook
Summary: A maiko. The sister of a renowned Geisha left alone to fend for herself. Kagome's entire world had fallen apart in the split second that it took for them to take away her sister, Kikyo, and if that wasn't enough for her to deal with, she was taken captive by the Southern wolf demon tribe; ready for sacrifice. Set for death until a demon prince chose to be her hero. Kagome/Kouga.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer – I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters.**

**Please don't kill me in your reviews. I'm more than happy to accept criticism as it will only help the development of my writing abilities, but please don't rip me to shreds as it will not change anything. Thank you.**

_She paints her face to hide her face. Her eyes are deep water. It is not for Geisha to want. It is not for Geisha to feel. Geisha is an artist of the floating world. She dances, she sings, she entertains you – whatever you want. The rest is shadows, the rest is secret. __**Memoirs of a Geisha.**_

Much of her childhood had been spent in the shadow of a mirror's reflection, watching. There was hardly a memory she had that didn't bear the sight of her sister flowing in a silk kimono, her face painted that stark white known only to Geisha. Most were not simply handed the life that she had been. Their mother, Kikyo's and her own, had been put into that life by a sale, and it was from that change the two of them were created. From the time she could walk, Kagome had spent each day learning the skills that would make her a Geisha as respected as her big sister; never knowing that in one day the entirety of her life would change dramatically.

The many layers of her elaborate kimono hindered the speed that she was attempting to take in flight. Her slim fingers clutched at the trailing fabric, tangling the silk beneath the crescents of her nails as her bare feet pounded the chilling ground with each stride. Buildings were burning all around her fleeing form; animals crying for a savior from the shelters that were falling apart upon them. The soft murmurs that managed to escape her lips were stifled by the roar of battle going on around her, but the tears that stained her cheeks alongside the charcoal were more than enough to express her sadness. Somewhere behind her, she could make out the growls of the beasts that pursued her, and although fear was what initially produced her departure, she was confident there was a substantial distance separating them. The fleeting image of a crimson kimono tore through the wall of her heart that had only just been built as she realized that the owner of the garment had already fallen to the snow in defeat. "Kikyo!" She cried, stumbling once over her own feet before she was able to make it to her sister's side. Her filthy fingertips touched at the contours of her sister's pale face, smudging the soft makeup that had once heightened the beauty in her face. "Kikyo," she whispered, the sound of her name drowned out by the war playing out around them. The elder sister cracked her sleepy lids, pursing her lips as she attempted to whisper her little sister's name. Kikyo's hand shakily rose from the depths of the snow, cupping the shape of Kagome's cheek through the smoke and winter. "Little sister," she managed to say; her tears shattering the strength that once resonated from her voice. Kagome shuddered. It wasn't from the cold. She could feel the warmth seeping out of her big sister's pores, life leaving the brown eyes that once watched her with such a cool resolve. The young girl was prepared to lay down in the snow with her sister and follow suit in death. Her stomach was tied up in knots; a sense of helplessness overwhelming any hope of being able to keep the demons of the underworld from taking her away. Kagome lay her head down upon Kikyo's chest, nestling her childish face between her ample breasts partially exposed from the tattered silk. "Don't leave me." She cooed, brushing two of her fingers across Kikyo's elevated wrist.

If Kikyo had answered her, Kagome would never know for sure. Her sister's hand had been smoothing the tangles in her sister's once silky hair when those tendrils were made into a trap of sorts. Grimy fingers twisted through the silky strands, snatching Kagome from the ground by grip of her scalp to her aching feet. The girl released a strangled cry, clutching fearfully at the hand that held her out at arm's length from its owner's body. "What should we do with the other one?" A gruff voice asked from behind a mask. "Just leave her. She's not going to make it." Those words would stay with Kagome for the rest of her life. No matter what she would do, should she live forever, she couldn't get the image of her sister dying in the snow nor the words of the soldier out of her head. Perhaps it was that simple trait that kept her from recalling how her first night away from her home occurred or maybe it was shock, as someone kept pointing out, that made her feel so hollow and forgetful. Whichever it was didn't matter in the end, however. For when realization finally struck her, they had come too far for her to figure out what direction they'd even taken to begin with.

There were other captives on the unknown journey with her, but she hadn't taken notice until that moment. It was a menagerie of sorts that consisted of ancients and children alike; none of whom she had come to know very well in her fifteen years of life. None of them were bound and shackled like she'd always been told they would be if the demon war had reached their village, but that wasn't to say they were being given the royal treatment either. Their captors didn't really seem to care if they continued walking together or if they died in the know, which was unbelievable for Kagome to wrap her mind around. Though much of their initial journey had been taken in silence, the captives began to softly discuss the meaning of their capture amongst themselves, and a small shred of hope was left lingering between them of being rescued or escaping. While she would've been more than happy to join in with the reassuring conversation, Kagome found herself too far away from it to do so. Her young mind drifted still from the details of that morning to the sight of her sister being left to pass in the snow, which is where her focal point was when a soft voice met her lips. "Hey, your name is Kagome, right?"

The girl's name was Sango. She was the oldest daughter of a powerful demon slayer who had taken the village as his home just a year or so after his wife birthed the girl. Her mother had lost her life in the battle with a demon just a month before they settled there, and that, he claimed, was the reason he'd chosen to settle there. After some time, in only what could be perceived as being rude, Kagome finally summed up the ability to answer the girl. "Yes. Do you know where they are taking us?" The demon slayer girl studied Kagome carefully, sizing her up in just a few seconds worth of investigation before offering an answer. "No one knows. All we've been able to figure out is that they're members of the Southern wolf demon tribe. They won't tell us anything about why they chose to attack our village or even why we've been spared."

It was the nature of their conversation that first provoked her to take a better look at their surroundings. Although she hadn't spent very much time in the area around her village, she was still able to decipher that they had crossed a great distance in just a day's complete travel. That achievement alone should have given her pleasure, and it might have if she had been able to ignore the sight of smoke pluming to the heavens just ahead. The massive trail of smoke could only mean one of two things to her. Either they were coming up on another burning village like her own, or they were approaching the main encampment for the soldiers. The group of villagers, Kagome included, were led in huddled formation to the center of what she came to know as their camp, and it was there that she was able to absorb the sight of a man and woman.

Based on appearance alone, there seemed to be a substantial difference in age between the two. The man, whose hair had once been a illustrious black, had traded out the color for the softer tones of gray in his great age. A plate of armor was strung across his still broad chest, chain draping across his shoulders and rib cage to keep the hard material from falling free. Though no scars haunted the shape of him, it was quite evident he had seen many battles in his life as where his left arm should have been only three quarters of it remained. Evidently someone had hacked the limb from his body just three inches above his wrist, but that didn't make him appear any less threatening than he was. If anything it doubled the effect of the dangerous look he had about him. On the other hand, the woman at his side appeared to bear a style quite the opposite. Her large, green eyes held a certain softness that one might perceive as unbecoming from a woman of power, but that ideology didn't deter the gentle expression that rested on her elegant face. Unlike the man at her side, she was dressed in a layer of fur that's purpose was only to conceal and warm her slender body; as well as concealing the small bundle she cradled in the crook of her arm. "We brought the villagers as you requested, father." A young man said, stepping from the group of soldiers with a boldness that implied his royal stature. The dark tail that hung over the waist of the fur covering his hips flicked a bit as he came up on the woman, dropping his head to brush his cold lips across her warm, plump ones. The elder straightened himself up to get a better look at the ragged group of humans, and clearing his throat he finally graced them with his voice. "Separate them by stature. I want to see who you have presented me with."

Without speaking among themselves as expected, the soldiers set about the task of pulling aside those who had worked for their lives from those who hadn't, which left only one standing there for the higher ranks; Kagome. All eyes were trained on the girl, far from home, covered by the tattered remnants of what had been quite the elegant kimono. She was shaking violently but not from the cold, and her eyes had already begun to film over from the tears. Kagome had been the only one from the highest district to be spared, and it wasn't until then that she realized the son of this demon lord had been the one to snatch her up by her hair. "What is your name, girl?" The demon asked. "Higurashi, Kagome." She cheeped, inclining her head to stare at the ground as she shuffled anxiously from one foot to the other. "Higurashi, Kagome. The daughter of a Geisha and sister to Kikyo." He said, seeming to consider this information very carefully before continuing. "Nothing more than a pretty face that can pluck strings and wave a fan." He waved his hand a bit, flicking his fingers at two of the soldiers. "I have no use for you." The two soldiers he addressed buckled forward, one grabbing her by the arms as the other put a sword to her neck. Her knees instantly fell weak, her eyes squeezing shut tight as a strangled sound left her lips. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as her bottom lip quivered, and were it not for the hands holding her up, she would've crumbled to the ground. Inwardly she was pleading with whatever god would listen to her, begging for a hero to come rescue her as she'd heard they would do in the fairy tales of her childhood. Everything was going far too fast. She couldn't breathe. Her mind was going blank, the world was going white, and then...

"I will speak for her!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer; I do not own any Inuyasha characters.**

_Everything was going far too fast. She couldn't breathe. Her mind was going blank, the world was going white, and then..._

_"I will speak for her!"  
_

Fingers closed around her trembling bicep, lifting her from the ground without the slightest hint of effort being implied. She took in a sharp breath, lashes brushing the film of tears from her eyes as though it was their direct intent for her to look upon the man who had spoken for her. A heavy plate of armor was strung across his chest; chains securing it tight at the shoulders and sides to ensure the utmost protection. From the narrow spaces in his physical defenses she could make out the bronze skin, the lines of cut muscle that had been generated from years of excursion and sheer demon birth. Dark tresses had been maintained well – drawn back in a smooth ponytail that fell far in length down his back, and strangely the thought occurred to her just how long the tendrils would be if left unrestricted. His sparkling pools were set in a cool stare at the aggressor that was intent on ending her life, and one naughty fang overlapped against his bottom lip as if a growl was preparing to escape the broad contours of his chest. "You can't be serious, Prince Kouga. There are dozens of women who would love for you to speak for them, and you choose to speak for this mortal woman." The heiress said, waving her hand as if the mere idea of a demon speaking for a mortal woman was utterly repulsive to her. Her acts of disgust were halted, however, when the male at her side raised his single hand to the air. "Hush, now." Straightening his frame to its full height, he dropped his arm back to his side and regarded Kagome carefully. "I was a young man once. It is understandable that he would wish to sow his oats before being with his true life mate, which is why I will allow him to take her. However, I should warn you, young lady; if you take even one step out of line, I'll put teeth into you myself."

The look that he gave her sent chills washing down her spine that were unrelated to the cold, and it was only then that she realized her tears had dried up. One of the soldiers thrust her forward, smirking when her body spilled across the snowy ground in a tumble of elegant cloth. She whimpered faintly, pushing her aching hands into the chilled dirt with the purpose of lifting herself without assistance. What caught her off guard though was the face that was now a mere inch or so from her own. Raven bangs framed his brow, shadowing the haunting eyes she'd been peering at from the distance he'd been at before, and now she felt warmth flooding into her face at the close proximity of their bodies to one another. He extended one calloused hand towards her, brushing her own silky hair from her face to inspect the laceration that had once dripped blood on her porcelain skin. Without asking if she was okay, he twisted his fingers in the fabric concealing her and guided her to her feet. Kagome could feel all the eyes of those surrounding them focusing in on them, and her heart throbbed strongly in her chest when the realization struck her again that the wolf prince had yet to release his grip on her. Kouga was inspecting the girl with the greatest strength of curiosity that could possibly be offered. Although he was more than aware of the expensive cloth that women of the villages wore, he was somewhat mystified by the fact that she'd adorned herself so elegantly when there was no need for it. Leaning in close to her, his nose wrinkled noticeably at the scent of smoke and blood that had layered itself on her person. "You stink." He grunted; snorting the vulgar scent from his sensitive nostrils with a single gust of air. Kagome felt that familiar twinge of hurt forming in her stomach, and with her teeth pressing hard into her bottom lip; she inclined her head to avoid looking him in the face.

_Why save me if you're just going to be mean to me?_

Her body had been scoured with a rough stone until her skin was a soft pink, and her hair scrubbed to the point that her scalp felt like it was preparing to bleed. This physical ache was something she was more familiar with, and she was able to handle it a lot better than the internal pain from before. An older wolf had been kind enough to provide the human girl with the supplies she needed to dress herself afterward, but the bath had not been so pleasant for her. The water was boiling hot to kill off any infection from cuts and an attempt to completely rinse away the filth on her skin. The scrubbing stone had been applied so painfully hard that a few places were still tender to the touch even after it had been put away, and some kind of sweet smelling liquid had been dumped into her hair to keep the texture as it was before. A rabbit hide that had obviously been tanned recently was secured across her ample breasts; leather strips cut thin stitched through the material to keep it from falling free. True to the vanity of a woman, someone had taken the time to add the full hind-feet of the bunny to the straps so that it would be more beautiful than it already was. The deer skin that wrapped around her hips was short in the front where the head had been pulled from the doe, and the soft tufts of white fur that lined the underbelly was cut to conceal her intimate flower. Of course, it didn't draw down as far as the full extent of the belly would've allowed. It ended at just enough of a distance from her hips to keep her fully hidden from the public. The tawny hue that normally crossed the beast's back was what concealed her rear end, and the majority of it had been left to the point that it touched the back of her knees in its full length. She felt utterly foolish in the animal garb. Up until that point the mere idea of going out without something hiding her arms had been viewed as garish, but there she was walking the halls of the wolf den as though it was the most natural thing. To put it plainly, her attire was actually clean compared to the things she saw on the other women. Some of them were going so far as to simply walk around topless; especially since the den itself was so well maintained in terms of heat.

Kagome brushed aside the wool curtain that separated the private quarters of the wolf prince from the rest of the tribe, and her fingers gave a slight twitch as a bodily warning for what she was about to visit upon entry. Her soft pools flickered in the dim illumination, attempting to focus through the darkness on whatever or whoever might actually be inside. Her bare toes tingled from the chill of the floor as she took a step deeper, and then her slender frame froze on the spot at the sight of what hung above her. A delicate orb of faded gold; sweet lacing of iridescent silver danced across its rocky surface, and the light that it expelled was brilliant against the midnight of the evening. The opening in the rock facing was a multitude of directions, but that didn't stop her from seeing the beauty that shined down on her. The moon might have gone unnoticed had it not been for the fact that it was so dark in the room, but thankfully she'd been able to take it in for all that it was. Her heart leaped into her throat with a powerful beat, and she sucked in a deep breath, touching one hand over the spot where her heart rested as though to contain it. With her lashes quivering, she made a murmur of a sound that wasn't decipherable even to the most literary of person. "What took you so long?" A deep voice growled from the darkest recesses of the room. Kagome gasped, whipping around in a tight circle in the hopes of locating the source of the sound. "I-I was getting clean." She exclaimed, her voice lathered with the fear that swelled in her stomach. Footsteps resonated on the floor as he approached her; chest plate removed for the evening to reveal what lay beneath to her private eyes. Not a scar was to be had on his physique, and it was evident that the entirety of his body was as brown as his arms had been to her. His dark hair had actually been pulled down from its ponytail, and it fell in rich, lacquered waves down his back just as she thought it would. The sight of him standing tall, broad, powerful in front of her caused a stir in her body that she'd never felt before. A heat of sorts flooded through her veins like a virus, heating her all the way down to her toes and through each strand of her hair. She took a step forward, fingers curling in towards her palms without a hint of true tension and her pupils began to dilate. Her lips pursed for the slow intake of breath, the process not needing her mental focus to occur. _What's going on…? I can't control my body. _ The thought seemed so far away. It didn't even sound like her own voice creating the words in her head, but she wasn't afraid of this knowledge although she should have been.

As she approached him so slowly, he shifted his weight from one foot to both and inclined his head, nocturnal vision enabling the fullest lock-down on what she was doing. Something in his body was telling him to stay still that whatever she was doing wasn't a threat to his life, which is when he noticed the shards of gold that littered the color of her orbs. She was moving with a different kind of step – a certain confidence that thrilled him though he knew nothing about her save her human heritage. It wasn't until she was standing an inch from him that some part of her seemed to realize how close she was, and her skin prickled at the waves of heat that pooled from the very pores in his skin. A wavering breath escaped her; hands ascending from their natural places towards his chest. Without feeling the pressure of her touch tiny pulses of electricity splintered through his skin, prickling it with goose bumps as his pecs swelled with want to meet her hands. Her palms hovered, fingers uncurling slowly for the prints to be able to make contact with his skin. For a second she thought that she could make out the sound of his heartbeat in her ears, and the very idea thrilled her down to the deepest core of her body for a reason she couldn't quite make out. _Kagome, what are you doing? _She was rising up onto the tips of her toes, her fingers spreading apart as her hands drew closer towards him. She was going to touch him. Their skin wasn't going to be separate any longer; an instinctual thought growled somewhere in his mind, but the logical portions of his brain yelled at him for the human girl even being so close. It wasn't even a nature of sexual want. He just wanted her to touch him. He needed it. And he didn't know why.

"Prince Kou-ga.." The sound of his name was sliced in half as a young man barged through the wool door on the two of them. The dark hair of the male was curled wetly on his brow, eyes layered by dark lashes peering wide at the two of them. Without missing a beat, Kouga's hand shot out to grab her narrow wrist with a sharp squeeze. He snatched her up close to him, keeping the bend of her elbow pressed between the both of their bodies when he put his face close to hers. For a moment he appeared as though he might actually say something to her, but the words never left his lips; instead, he slung her atop a pile of bedding that had been specifically placed there for her. Kagome whimpered, folding in on herself with her throbbing wrist tucked against the flat plain of her stomach. She thought the tears might come to her eyes, but instead they stayed deep in their pouches with the idea of appearing later when no one would see. "What do you want, Ginta?" He growled, rolling his shoulders back in the same prideful stance he'd carried before. "I uh, meal." He muttered, tapping his index fingers together sheepishly out of embarrassment. Kouga snorted gruffly, glancing sideways at Kagome before he stalked from the confines of his room with Ginta right on his heels. _What was that all about? Don't be foolish, Kagome. You've got to figure out a way to get out of here and get back to the village. Whatever reason that demon had for saving you, he might not keep it if you continue to act stupid like that. Be wary girl. You can do this. You can hold your breath long enough to make a clean get away. Yeah. _Outwardly she nodded in agreement with herself; pleased with the mental pep talk she'd been given after such a strange episode. Certain that the two demons weren't going to be returning anytime soon, she rose from the fetal position on the bedding to examine the state of the room. A menagerie of armor and animal skin were messily discarded all over the floor, which made it a wonder that she didn't hurt herself when she approached him before. Through the tiny threads of light that the moon provided her, she was able to make out the remnants of a fire pit with the ashes still smoldering within. Taking a moment to glance at the door, she rose to her feet and set about the task of throwing some lumber on the dying fire. Heat spilled out after the timber caught up, and she breathed a sigh of relief at the warmth. Unlike the demons that roamed the corridors, she was actually still quite chilled inside the den, which was certain to cause a problem when she finally chose to sleep.

The fire lit up the interior of the room, providing her with sufficient enough illumination to decipher how the room was set up. Though she was certain her hands would hate her for the act, she took hold of the heavy plates of armor and half carried, half dragged them to one corner of the room. Cold as she was, a fine glaze of sweat was already forming down the center of her back from that meager bit of effort and she despised herself for it. Especially when just a few hours before the entire pack had been adorned in this particular state of gear and hadn't minded it. Her legs shook fitfully beneath her from the sheer exhaustion that wracked her frame. It only occurred to her then that she hadn't slept for a few days at least, and now she was in a room that was warming up with a bed specifically designed for her. Kagome stumbled a bit, feeling somewhat drunk when she finally dropped to her knees on her bed. Her dark hair spilled all across her body like a fine blanket when she descended into the plush fur, lids falling heavily into the doze of slumber without a moment being taken for thought.


End file.
